immersionlog

誰・どなた

who

誰 (polite: どなた)

Sign up free to review this point on a spaced schedule.

誰 (だれ) means "who". It takes particles like any noun: 誰が (who, as subject), 誰と (with whom), 誰に (to whom), and 誰の for "whose": これは誰のですか, "whose is this?"

As a question word it can't take は; the subject version is 誰が: 誰が来ましたか.

どなた is the polite version, used about or to someone you should be respectful to: 失礼ですが、どなたですか, "excuse me, may I ask who you are?" Asking a stranger 誰ですか to their face is blunt.

Add か for "someone" (誰か) and も with a negative for "no one" (誰もいない), covered a few points on.

Examples

  • あの人ひとは誰だれですか。

    Who's that?

  • これは誰だれのかばんですか。

    Whose bag is this?

  • 誰だれと一緒いっしょに行いきましたか。

    Who did you go with?

  • 昨日きのう、誰だれに会あいましたか。

    Who did you see yesterday?

  • 失礼しつれいですが、どなたですか。

    Excuse me, may I ask who you are?

Related